Spray device



April i6, E95., E. o. BULMAN SPRAY DEVICE Fild April 25, 1932 Y knuenor lvah Obukman mgj , vfguNl.TED STATE Patented Apr. 16, 1935 Y SPRAY DEVICEV K'Elvah 0. Bulman, Grand Rapids, Mich., assigno to E. 0. Bulma/n Mfg. Co. Inc., Grand Rapids,

Mich., a. corporation of Michigan l Application April 25, 1932, Serial No. 607,249 y 2 Claims.`

" v 'I'his invention relates to irriprovementsl in 5 condition.

The invention consists of a device for creating an extremely iine spray or mist of water which will float through the atmosphere and deposit upon..the vegetables to keep l them moist. The spray device provides means for directing the mist in different directions as may be'desired for the purpose of inostening certain vegetables in one location on the trayvwhen itis not ldesired to provide moisture'4 for vegetables inv another part of the tray. Also air currents, which `would tend to carry. the larger-part of the mist*- in one direction, may be counteractedto some y,extent by the direction in which the mistis directed fromv the spraying device. An additional feature of. the invention is a container which willretainmoisture disclfiargedk from'the sprayin'gdevice in a location under the vegetables whereby 'the'evaporation` therefrom will aid infhumidifying the air around the vegetablesand such humidification may be usedentirely. to keep .the vegetables in moist fresh condition during considerable periods whenythe sprayingdevice kis not in operation.

The invention provides various.y other new and useful features of eonstructionand arrangement as hereinafter more fully described and-particularlypointed outin the claims; referencejbeing had to the accompanyingdrawing, in whicln` l ,-Fig. .l is averticalelevation, partly in section, of a spraying and humidifying device embodying this-invention operatively` arranged in association with a vegetable holding tray. Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of the essential parts of theY spraying device showing portions thereof in ver-tical section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section ofthe nozzle of the spraying device. I

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cup and dome member .y .Y

'Fig fisrasectional elevation Vof the cup and dome membersv showing .the dome.v shifted for angulardirection of the'spray,` and l,

' Fig. 6 is a perspective viewjof thefdome member.

Like reference numbers refer tolikelparts in authengur'es. z f

rA substantially horizontal vegetable `support= ing tray AI is provided which preferably is made of mesh structure or other perforate material and this isi supported within and appreciably spaced above the bottom of a relatively shallow panv 2. Although no means for supporting the pan shown it is tobe understood that the pan may be suitably supported by conventional legs or other framework or in fact may be laid upon a table if desired. The pan is designed to hold f water and is provided in its bottom with a drain pipe 3 in which is located a valve 4 which may be manually opened or closed whereby, when closed, water rmay be prevented from draining through the pipe'3 frornthe pan.V 1 f f A water spray pipe 5, provided with a shut-off valve 6, 'is suitably locatedV to extendpver the tray I and has its terminating end directed down wardly to which end is attached a nozzle 1. The nozzle in detail comprisesthe main body vhaving an openlower end to whichisscrewed a Vcap 8 havinga `relatively large central opening and a discSis clamped ,against the end ofthe body 1 by the cap 8, said disc having a very small central opening lthrough which is emitted a ne stream of kwater from the 'piped ,The'stream of water, indicated at I0, is directed downwardly in a substantially vertical direction. v .v f In substantial alinement with the stream f I and spaced considerablybelowthe nozzle 'i a'supporting sleeve II-is located yand suitablyv supported as lby a bracket I2 which is vattached to it and also clamped Vto aportion of the pipe although other means of supporting the sleeve- I I may be used. The 4lower end of the sleeve II preferably extendsthroughthe tray` I and. terminates above the bottom of the pan 2 and may be additionally supportedand held :in place Yby beingclamped to a brace. I3 in the pan, vsaid brace also serving as a center Vsupportfor the tray I.A The lower end of the sleeve II is openedlto communicate Awith the interior of thepan 2.,

A hollow stem I4 irsrslidably llocated in the up# per vpartkof the sleever II and projects from the upper end thereof, the upper end of the stem I4 carrying a cup I5and the bottom of said cup having an openingrcommunicrating with the interior of the hollow stem I4 whereby water in the cup will drainthrough the .stem and through the sleeve II into-the pan- 2. Thestem I4 is held in desired vertical adjustment relative to the sleeve II by a set screwl IB screwed into said sleeveand having its end bearing againstthe exterior `of the stem. Y

Y t has previously been stated thatthe sleeve l I located inY substantial alinement with the stream of water I0 emitted from the nozzle 'I and thereby it will beL understood that. the cup I5, carried by the stem l I4 in saidk sleeve, is also centrally located relative to said stem. A spray Adome I1 islocatedwithinthe cup and supported upon the lbottom thereof,.which dome is directly in thepath of the stream Ill and causes said stream, when impingedv against it, to be broken up into ne particles some of which are extremely line andvlfloat away in the nature of a mist.

The dome is preferably formedrof sheet metal stamped into substantially convex shapeand has a plurality o f upward indentations I8 at its periphery. The disc alsois preferably provided ,with holesv I9 extendingthrough it neariits periphery. The dome is movably retained in its approximate location by a chain 2U attached to its under surface and extending through the hollow stem I4 and a ring 2| of greater diameter when the interior of the stem I4 is attached to the lower end of the chain below the end of thel stem which prevents removal of the dome from the device but permits ready change of position of the dome in the cup I5. The bottom of the cup I5 is preferably of concaved shape, its curvature being opposite to the curvature of the dome for a purpose hereafter described,

Operation With vegetables or other articles to be moistened supportedron the tray I and water under pressure supplied tothe pipe 5 and the valve 6 open a fine stream of Water is emitted from the nozzle 'I through the hole inthe disc 9 and is directed downwardly with considerable force and impinges against the upper convex surface of the dome I1. Upon striking Athe convex surface Yof the dome the stream is broken up into fine particles, the coarser of which because of the curvature of the surface, are directed laterally and are retained within the vertical Walls of the cup I5. A portion of the water of the stream, however, is reduced to such minute particles Aas will float in the atmosphere in the form of a-mist which mist rises from the cup and floats over the vegetables in the tray and is deposited thereon tomoisten them.

The mist is caused to rise from the cup and is directed in its `movement therefrom by air currents set up bymotion of the stream III and the large particles of Water therefrom as they are deected from the dome, such air currents moving outwardly from the stream. If the dome Il is arranged with its center in exact alinement with the stream I as shown in Fig; A2 ythen the lateral displacement of water will be substantially equal in all directions and the air currents created thereby will likewise travel equally in all directions radially and upwardly from the stream and carry the mist away from the vcup 'substantially uniform in all directions.-

If it is desired to cause the mist to move from the cup in any one general direction then' the position of the dome relative to the stream may be shifted by simply moving it laterally up'on the bottom of the cup, the dome Ybeing held in any desired position only vby gravity and frictional resistance. When the dome is moved so that vits center is not in alinement with the stream Il) then said stream strikes a portion'of the dome, which is inclined downwardly toward Ione vside of the cup, and the coarser particles of water are deflected from that surface toward the adjacent side of the cup. These particles of Water are in the form of a stream, see Fig. 5, and this stream impinges against the inner wall of the cup and causes the mist to float away in the` direction shown.

The concaved bottom of the cup causes'an accentuation of theinclination of the dome when it is moved laterally away from its central position as illustrated in Fig. 5. The periphery Aoi? the bottom of the cup, being higher than the'central part, causes the edge of the dome moved toward the periphery to rise while the edge of the dome moved toward the center lowers and this detail of construction requires less lateral movement of the dome to acquire the desired angle of the surface thereof which is contacted by the stream. The concave bottom also assists in draining water from the cup.

By vertically adjusting the cup and dome accomplished by loosening the set screw I6 and sliding the stem I4 in the sleeve l I, and thereby moving the dome closer to or farther from the nozzle l, the quality of the spray may be adjusted. 'I'he stream is liner and has greater force near the nozzleand farther from the nozzle it spreads to some extent and loses some of its force and 'therefore if it is caused to impinge against the dome close toY the nozzle it Will be broken into finer particlesk and cause a greater amount of mist to emanate than when the dome is'moved farther from the nozzle. Y

The Water retained withinV the cup I finds its Way beneath the dome through the indentations I8 at the edge thereof and also through the openings I9 through the dome which are provided to drain excessive amounts of water, and thence drains through the hollow stem I4 and the sleeve II and is deposited in thek pan 2. If desired the valve 4 in the drain pipe 3 may be opened so that Awater'thus deposited in the pan will be drained therefrom through the pipe 3 but if the valve 4 is closed the water is retained in the pan and after aconsiderable period suflicient water will accumulate to partially fill the pan. The Vpan is caused to contain water as above described at times when it is desirable to cease operation of the spraying device for a considerable period and still maintain humidity in the atmosphere surrounding the vegetables and under' these conditions the shut-off valve 6 may be closed which will stop operation of thespraying device and moisture evaporated from thev water in the pan will riseinto the vegetables above 'it and such moistening and humidifying may be aided by covering the pan and vegetables on the tray with a'cloth which will tend to retain the moisture to a large extent. v

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

Y 1. A device ofthe class describedcomprising a nozzle constructed and arranged to eject a minute stream of water downwardly, a supporting member having an outlet leading downwardly, a member having a curvedl impact surface located upon the supporting member in the path of the stream of water, a chain fastened to the impact member and extending downwardly in the outlet and means on the chain to prevent its removal from the outlet buty permitting a limited withdrawal whereby vertical andlateral adjustment of the impact member is permitted.

2. Inra construction of the type described, a nozzle constructed and arranged to eject a relatively minute stream of Water downwardly, a cup havinga relatively flat bottom surface and side walls extending upwardly at substantially right angles thereto, an impact disc of considerably lesser vsize than the interior ofthe cup located therein, said impact disc having its upper surface of convex form and being movable to a plurality of positions for the purpose described, and outlet meansv leading from the said cup, the several parts being constructed and arranged so that the stream of water impinges against the impact discrbel'ow a plane through the top edge of the side walls regardless of the positioning of the impact disc within the cup.

, .'ELVAH O. BULMAN. 

